Objectified 11: Sigg Bottles

Depending on where you live the water that comes out of your tap ranges from delicious and drinkable to pukeworthy. Even when it’s good, you are faced with the task of carrying it from that tap to wherever you intend to drink it. At least I was, and it bugged me all the time. I tried several things including buying cases of small water bottles from the store and a refillable bicycle style water bottle. The store bought stuff sucked because I knew how much trash I was creating, and the plastic bicycle ones get gross quick. I made the mistake of touching the inside of one after using it for about 2 weeks and I could never drink it again without thinking about that slime.

I kept hearing about these metal bottles by SIGG after finally seeing them for sale at Whole Foods I gave in and bought one. I’d be lying if I said that the fact that they had this slick flat black one didn’t help saw me as most of the ones I’d seen before that were all brightly colored with different artwork all over them. There are lots of colors and sizes available so if you are into the colors and artwork or want something a little smaller then you are still set. It’s weird, but water actually tastes better after being in it and I find myself filling and drinking out of it at home far more often then I used to with glasses. And for being out and about (or even traveling) it’s bad ass. Since it’s metal it’s durable as hell, and the clipable lid makes it a snap to carry around. It’s slightly larger than the bicycle bottles I was used to before, but that’s not really an issue. I think I paid about $25 for mine and easily saved in about a month that by not buying water throughout the day like I used it. Highly highly recommended.

Comments (7)

I’d recommend Klean Kanteens over Sigg bottles. They’re just slightly heavier (they’re made of stainless steel) but the overall quality of workmanship and durability far surpasses a Sigg bottle.

– You don’t have to worry about the proprietary interior coating wearing away. Stainless Steel is much safer and less reactive than Aluminum. It’s akin to the differences between a Corian countertop and Formica laminate.
– I found the screw threads on the Sigg’s cap too finely pitched and not the best at accommodating grab-n-go duty cycles unless you get a nipple top.
– Siggs do come in a wider variety of colors, capacities, and styles. As much as yo liked the plain black, I’m a sucker for bare metal.

I’ve been thinking about getting a Sigg bottle (or Kleen Kanteen as Keith suggested) myself but the thing that bothers me about them is that there isn’t a sport bottle top. Or perhaps I’m just not looking hard enough? I have the problem of being pretty clumsy and the sport-nozzle greatly reduces the incident of water escaping from the bottle either on to my face or clothes, especially if I’m doing something active like cycling, being on an elliptical machine, or sitting still. I also can’t squeeze them, which is really only necessary if I get that sport-nozzle action that I’ve been craving.

That’s my only complaint (oh, and I still haven’t found one with a design that really spoke to me). I think I might do more research on Kleen Kanteens now that Keith has pointed out the Sigg’s interior coating issue.

I’ve been using SIGG for years now. They have a number of other tops that are not screw top. I’ve seen them
on their website and at a few boutiques near my house. I personally prefer the screw top. Their interior lining
has been tested again and again for decades and has been proven to not leach any harmful materials and never
deteriorates. I find SIGG bottles to be much sturdier and superior in quality to Klean Kanteen. SIGG has been producing this bottles for over one hundred years, so their quality is top notch. And if I ever plan
to retire my SIGG bottles, they are 100% recyclable since aluminum is a natural element of the earth, unlike
stainless steal.

Meredisu, just to be clear, stainless steel is completely recyclable. Stainless steel is basically just iron, carbon, and chromium.

Steel is recycled everyday and easier in many ways due to it’s magnetism and melting point.

Recycling of aluminum is well known because recycling is essential to it’s availability. Creating new aluminum from ore requires huge amounts of energy, making recycling hugely important to lowering the costs of aluminum. Unlike steel/iron which is simpler to refine, aluminum’s complexity led immediately to recycling.

@Meredisu I’m not saying that Sigg bottles aren’t sturdy enough for daily use, but given the materials, dimensions, and manufacturing processes involved, a Kanteen will always be stronger. It’s just endemic to the salient properties of the elements used in construction. I’m not questioning the biological or health impacts of the coating but, given equivalent performance, I’ll always prefer a simpler product. I also find both manufacturers have sufficient tolerances. Given the equivalent pricing, it really comes down to philosophies of use and ownership. In the end, they’re both just highly functional water bottles. As a society, anything we can do to further reduce dependencies on unsustainable petrolium-based manufacturing processes and increase the utilization of technical “nutrients” which can be fully re/up-cycled is a Good Thing™.

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Hi, I’m Sean Bonner

I recently moved to Tokyo after 17 years in Los Angeles. I’ve run hackerspaces and blog networks, an art gallery, design firm and a record label. I’m one of the co-founders of Safecast, and currently act as Global Director. I’m an Associate Professor at Keio University, a Shuttleworth Fellow, an MIT researcher and sit on the board of CicLAvia.